So let’s talk about Tarsh a little. First thing to keep in mind is that it is geographically about the same size Sartar, but it is much more intensely settled with more than twice the population of Sartar.
The district around Furthest (which includes the Temple of the Reaching Moon) is the most Lunar area, and the much of the population are descended from settlers from the Heartland. A majority of all Lunar cultists reside in that district, which has approximately 120,000 people (a third of the population of Tarsh).
The most important cults in this district are:
- Seven Mothers 33,500
- Hon-eel 12,400
- Ernalda 10,650
- Orlanth 6,900 (mostly Thunderous or Barntar)
- Oslira 2650
- Humakt 2250
- Issaries 1900
- Chalana Arroy 1850
- Yelmalio 1750
- Lhankor Mhy 1500
- Etyries 1390 (note Etyries shares the Trade Temple with Issaries in Furthest)
- Maran Gor 1075
Where does the name “Tarsh” come from? If I recall it means “scorched land”.
There are about 145 “villages” in all of Tarsh, about 47 around Furthest. In Sartar we’d associate these with clans and that’s exactly what they are. There are about 100 clans in Sartar – if the clans were the same size, we’d expect about 220 in Tarsh. But the average “village area” in Tarsh is around 2100-2200 people, as opposed to the around 1200 people in Sartar. Again, Tarsh is more heavily populated.
And that’s what I want to emphasise – most of Tarsh is dedicated to agriculture. Maize, barley, and wheat.
The villagers around Furthest are mostly Seven Mothers cultists with Hon-eel and Ernalda as the grain goddesses. They look to Furthest for culture, trade, and resolving major disputes.
Note that Tarsh is not divided into tribes. It is not a confederation of tribes like Sartar – it is a kingdom, centered on the Lunar colony city of Furthest, and is divided into districts ruled by appointees of the king. In Dunstop and Bagnot, the powerful Orindori clan have achieved effectively hereditary rule.
Furthest is the main offloading point between the Dragon Pass road system and the Oslira River. There is a military road that runs from Furthest to Filichet, but it is cheaper to load trade goods onto boats and float them downriver.
